Knicks ready for rematch vs Celtics after embarrassing season opener

Hopefully, Saturday won’t beryllium a repetition of opening night.

That’s erstwhile the Celtics, caller disconnected their title celebration, buried the Knicks beneath an avalanche of threes successful a humiliating 132-109 season-opening blowout successful Boston.

But these aren’t the aforesaid Knicks — astatine least, that’s what they’re retired to beryllium successful Saturday’s rematch astatine Madison Square Garden.

“It’s the adjacent test,” caput manager Tom Thibodeau said aft Friday’s signifier successful Tarrytown. “It’s astir knowing however you hole for each crippled — what are the strengths and weaknesses of the team? We person to cognize them well. Obviously, they’re a unsafe team. They are the defending champion. So we person to beryllium acceptable to play 48 minutes of truly bully basketball.”

The Celtics person been the people of the NBA each season, led by perennial All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Their five-out discourtesy surrounds the level with lethal three-point shooters astatine each times. Their backcourt — Jrue Holiday and Derrick White — is simply a nightmare defensively. Their bigs, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, support the rim and agelong the level with efficiency.

They’re reigning champions for a reason.

And yet, truthful overmuch has changed for the Knicks since opening night. They participate Saturday trailing Boston by conscionable 1 crippled successful the nonaccomplishment file for the No. 2 effect successful the Eastern Conference.

More than conscionable a measuring instrumentality game, it’s an opportunity.

“It’s different stepping chromatic for america to spot wherever we are,” said Jalen Brunson. “Each crippled is simply a trial for america to spot wherever we tin amended and get better. When a squad wins [a title] the mode they did, everyone’s chasing them. So there’s a batch of respect for Boston astir the league.”

That respect present extends some ways. New York (34-17) is nary longer conscionable a scrappy, overachieving team. They’re a morganatic force, conscionable 1.5 games backmost of the Celtics (36-16), and a top-two effect is wrong reach.

“Obviously, you ever privation to get the champion [playoff] presumption possible, but each game, you dainty it arsenic if they were Boston Celtics,” said Karl-Anthony Towns. “I’ve said it before: If you dainty immoderate crippled similar it’s not the Boston Celtics oregon the Cavaliers, past you’re doing yourself an injustice. We instrumentality each crippled seriously.”

Opening nighttime was a wake-up telephone for a Knicks squad inactive successful flux. That nonaccomplishment came conscionable weeks aft the blockbuster trade that sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota for Towns. It was a roster inactive learning however to play together, going up against a title squad that had spent the summertime fine-tuning its title-winning formula.

Saturday presents a caller challenge. And this time, the Knicks are acold amended equipped to conscionable it.

“We’re a antithetic team, conscionable knowing each other, continuity, knowing wherever our strengths are,” Towns said. “And we’re conscionable a antithetic mindset arsenic a squad arsenic well. We person familiarity with each other. There’s been clip with each different present to benignant of cultivate a culture.”

“I deliberation the situation is erstwhile you person arsenic galore guys arsenic we did to get them to larn the strengths and weaknesses of each other, learning a caller strategy and to absorption connected that improvement. I’d accidental offensively it’s been dependable throughout. And defensively the aforesaid thing,” Thibodeau added. “To recognize what goes into winning — defense, your rebounding, keeping your turnovers down, attacking the rim and sharing the ball. I’d accidental we’ve been beauteous bully astatine these things.”